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Past and predicted future effects of housing growth on open space conservation opportunity areas and habitat connectivity around National Wildlife Refuges

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Abstract

Context

Housing growth can alter suitability of matrix habitats around protected areas, strongly affecting movements of organisms and, consequently, threatening connectivity of protected area networks.

Objectives

Our goal was to quantify distribution and growth of housing around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System. This is important information for conservation planning, particularly given promotion of habitat connectivity as a climate change adaptation measure.

Methods

We quantified housing growth from 1940 to 2000 and projected future growth to 2030 within three distances from refuges, identifying very low housing density open space, “opportunity areas” (contiguous areas with <6.17 houses/km2), both nationally and by USFWS administrative region. Additionally, we quantified number and area of habitat corridors within these opportunity areas in 2000.

Results

Our results indicated that the number and area of open space opportunity areas generally decreased with increasing distance from refuges and with the passage of time. Furthermore, total area in habitat corridors was much lower than in opportunity areas. In addition, the number of corridors sometimes exceeded number of opportunity areas as a result of habitat fragmentation, indicating corridors are likely vulnerable to land use change. Finally, regional differences were strong and indicated some refuges may have experienced so much housing growth already that they are effectively too isolated to adapt to climate change, while others may require extensive habitat restoration work.

Conclusions

Wildlife refuges are increasingly isolated by residential housing development, potentially constraining the movement of wildlife and, therefore, their ability to adapt to a changing climate.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Science Support Program Partnership. We very much appreciate the helpful comments of anonymous reviewers and the patience of the editorial staff of this journal, which greatly helped to improve an earlier version of this manuscript. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This publication represents the views of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Author notes

  1. Matthias Baumann

    Present address: Geography Department, Humboldt University, Rudower Chaussee 16, Raum 2’101, Berlin, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Conservation Service – Oregon, 1201 NE Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 900, Portland, OR, 97232, USA

    Christopher M. Hamilton

  2. SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Matthias Baumann, Anna M. Pidgeon, David P. Helmers & Volker C. Radeloff

  3. Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, United States Geological Survey, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA

    Wayne E. Thogmartin

  4. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA

    Patricia J. Heglund

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  1. Christopher M. Hamilton
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wayne E. Thogmartin.

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Hamilton, C.M., Baumann, M., Pidgeon, A.M. et al. Past and predicted future effects of housing growth on open space conservation opportunity areas and habitat connectivity around National Wildlife Refuges. Landscape Ecol 31, 2175–2186 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-016-0392-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-016-0392-8

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